These days everybody and they Mama are trying to get into the music/entertainment business. And with hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people trying to get their foot in the door it makes it much harder for REAL artists with REAL talent to be seen, heard and ultimitely discovered. Although you have to sift through hundreds of Myspace/YouTube pages to find a truely talented artist, a find like unsigned singer/song writer LeVar Thomas makes it all worth it. Thomas' Myspace boasts over 41,000 friends, his YouTube vids have had over 10,000 plays combined before his page was deleted TWICE for unknown reasons. The South Carolina native, who now resides just outside of "The City That Never Sleeps" aka New York City took a minute out of his hectic schedule to talk influence, aspiration and inspiration on all things music.
KidduNot.com: Sup Levar? How's life treating you?
Life is good! I’m getting adjusted to the New York lifestyle and the sky is the limit.
KidduNot.com: Good to hear everything is well...so you've lived many places, tell us about the places you've lived and what you love about them.
I was born and raised in Beech Island, South Carolina, a small town 5 minutes outside of Augusta, GA. That will always be “home” for me. I get a warm feeling everytime I go home to visit and most of my family is there too, can’t beat that! I moved to Atlanta in 2002 to work my magic on the music industry there. I had the dream but I was very raw at what it took to get into it. You not only have to have the drive and the dream but the business savvy. Atlanta taught me the savvy. It was an environment that was like home just more urban. After being in Atlanta for 6 years I felt like I needed a fresh environment and point of view. About 7 months ago, I moved to New Jersey about 15 minutes outside NY. I love it here because there is such diversity. People performing around every corner, museums, shows, shopping. There’s never a shortage of things to do.
KidduNot.com: Okay let's talk music, when did you first realize you had talent?
I would have to say after I performed at Glee Club concert in middle school. The teacher was Mrs. Williams and she’d say “You have a good voice.” but I don’t think I realized what she meant. After the concert some parents told me I did a great job and I embraced it from then on.
KidduNot.com: You write great songs that are heartfelt and sincere, tell us where you draw inspiration from.
I draw inspiration from everywhere. It could be two random people interacting on the street, a tv show, or a situation family or friends go through. I tend to put myself in their shoes and imagine how they feel about things.
KidduNot.com: Who or what, would u list as your Top 3 influences and why?
My #1 influence is my family. No matter what, we are always there for each other, good or bad. My other two influences are musical. Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder. Luther Vandross is a bomb vocalist. He could do whatever imaginable with his voice and I aspire to be able to do that. Stevie Wonder is incredible all the way around. He has crazy vocal range, is talented on multiple instruments and writes songs about real life and love situations. He also has 21 Grammy Awards. I wanna be that guy!
KidduNot.com: Tell us about your upcoming projects and where people can get/hear your music, any album releases in the near future? I think your fans would love that.
Since making the move, I’ve been writing a lot. My immediate goal is to get a publishing deal to place some of my music with established artists. This has been my focus lately. I plan to release my own album when I can give it my full focus. Meanwhile, a few of my songs are for download at LeVarThomas.com and iTunes.
KidduNot.com: You have a song called "Come See About Me" which is amazing to say the least. What inspired that song? I know some couples that are going to be apart for awhile, leaving for college, Iraq and different places. Being a songwriter I imagined how that might feel and I wrote with that in mind. After a couple of days, Come See About Me was born.
KidduNot.com: Okay tell us something about you that has never been revealed in an interview.
I’m a nerd! I love articles about science, I watch a lot of National Geographic and try to catch Jeopardy daily. I score pretty well too!
KidduNot.com: You were recently named as the Winner of a $10,000 Grand Prize on ClipStar.com, how did it feel to win? It felt good. When the check got in I was jumping off the walls! The best part is knowing that people worldwide are into the music I create.
KidduNot.com: In conclusion, if and when you make it into the industry, what is it that you want people to get out of your music? Goosebumps! For real, I hope my music brings people closer together and inspires a new generation of singers and songwriters.
LeVar Thomas
Singer/Songwriter
http://www.LeVarThomas.com
http://www.Imeem.com/LeVarThomas
http://www.Myspace.com/LThomasMusic
"Ribbon In The Sky" Levar Thomas
The Virgo Signing Off...
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